For the Love of Merlin
by C0nt0rt3dm1nd
Summary: Well, I guess this is what I get for being best friends with a Potter. Broom closets, potions, pranks, oh my. At least it's not some crazy love story, now that would complicate things a bit. Wait a tick… Oh Merlin. -James II/OC-
1. Merlin Help Me

_Anything you recognize is not mine. In other words, I only own Liz Powell. I blame J.K. Rowling, if only I were her._

**

* * *

**

**Merlin Help Me**

"Mr. Potter! Ms. Powell!" Headmistress McGonagall yelled at us.

My red hair flew over my face as I bent over, laughing hysterically. Sparing a glance toward my partner in crime, his black hair even messier (who knew that was possible) around his face, he's in a position similar to my own.

"Twenty-five points from Gryffindor," McGonagall tried to flick some of the frogs that were clinging to her dress off. "Each."

Earlier in the day, he and I had decided to pull a harmless prank on his younger brother's Slytherin friends. Completely harmless. Just because the Slytherins are different now (like they wouldn't call me a Mudblood just because I'm Muggleborn) did not mean that we would stop causing them slight embarrassment now and then. I mean honestly, it's kind of fun.

But anyway, the prank involved lots of frogs, chocolate and real. If I do say so myself, it was pretty creative. Yet again I am the one that planned most of it. Scratch that, all of it. The thought came to me as I was reminiscing the day we met, six years ago.

_~~~~~**Flashback**~~~~~_

"_Whoa," I breathed as I looked at the great Hogwarts Express in front of me. The sleek red train gleamed in the light of the station and some children were saying last minute goodbyes to their parents._

_I rolled my trunk over to one of the doors and pulled it up with me onto the train. Rolling it into a compartment, I set it down and plopped onto one of the seats._

"_There is no way I'm going to get that up there," I said to myself while looking up at the metal rack._

"_You know," came a voice from the doorway. "Talking to yourself is one of the first signs of insanity."_

_I turned my head to see a boy about my age raising a hand to his messy hair. _

"_Can I sit here?" he asked. Glancing at my trunk, he continued. "Need some help?"_

_I nodded, "Yeah," and together we got both of our trunks onto the rack._

"_So," I breathed as I sat down, "I'm Liz Powell."_

_He shook my outstretched hand. "James Potter."_

_I nodded and he stared. "You're not going to ask about my father?"_

"_Um."_

_Was this another strange wizard custom? Asking about fathers?_

"_Are you Muggleborn?" he asked suddenly._

"_Yeah, I think that's what they call it," I scratched my arm, "Why?"_

_He breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank Merlin."_

_I laughed at the choice of 'slang', "Why?"_

_He looked at me and started to laugh also. Once he calmed down, he told me all about the War and the guy who called himself Lord Voldemort. Apparently his father had defeated the so called 'Dark Lord' and is famous in the Wizarding World. Just as he was about to start telling me about Hogwarts, a woman opened the door. _

"_Anything from the Trolley dears?" she asked us._

"_Erm," I brought the odd coins out of my pocket. "What do you have?"_

"_Well," she smiled. "Let's see, do you like chocolate?"_

_My eyes lit up and I could also see James perk at the mention of chocolate. "I love chocolate."_

"_That'll be two of the silver coins then," she handed me some boxes and went to James._

_The box had the words, 'Chocolate Frogs' on it. "It's going to take me awhile to get used to this," I mouthed to myself._

_Looking up as the woman left the compartment; I noticed James had also gotten Chocolate Frogs, but a few more than me._

"_I take it you like chocolate?" I smirked._

_He looked to me, "I only have it every other—"_

"_Surely not day?" I was horrified at the fact of not having chocolate every other hour._

"_Actually, I was going to say hour," He took a card out of a box._

_Finally, someone who understands the greatness of chocolate!_

_I nodded and smiled, "You and me, James, I've a feeling we'll make great friends."_

_~~~~~**End Flashback**~~~~~_

So after all these years, we're still friends. I go over to his house during break and he came over to mine. We went through the ups and downs together. Although it was hard when my parents died in a car crash in second year and I was sent to live with my godmother who hates me and all things magic. She was happy every summer when the time came for me to go to James' house and not see me until the next year.

Of course, James helped me get through it. I'm positive James told his father about my life at home because one day in the summer between third and fourth year, Mr. Potter spoke with me on the matter of not having parents and living with a Muggle like my godmother. He also had to grow up with magic-hating Muggles, which came as a shocker.

And when Lily and Albus came, I treated them like my own siblings, even if the latter's in Slytherin.

Anyway, back to the present.

"THAT was irresponsible! Shame to the House of Godric Gryffindor!" McGonagall went on and on while James and I were still laughing. Seeing that we were no longer (or never started) paying attention, she stalked away mumbling about, '_Horrid genes. Mistake of thinking he'd be nothing like his namesake.'_

After she had turned the corner, I stood up straight and turned to James. "Wonderful job saying the spell, Mr. Potter."

"Lovely job distracting McGonagall, ," He smirked and pushed his glasses back onto his face.

"Why thank you," I grabbed his arm. "Now what do you want to do for the rest of the day? I mean since you didn't want to go to Hogsmeade."

"What was the point, to little of an amount of people went this time. That meant it was the perfect time for a prank," He looked to me out of the corner of his eyes. "Besides, you're the one who came up with the prank."

"Obviously," I grinned innocently. "I mean, I am the brains of all our operations. Also the one who does all the work, and the hard parts of the pranks."

"Really? Hmm, than what am I?" he faked anger.

"That's easy, you're the one who's never noticed and does nothing," I shrugged and started running down the hallway as he chased me.

"You know you can't catch me!" I sang.

"Oh really?" He yelled as I rounded the corner ahead.

Laughing silently, I looked around. "Oh shit."

I was cornered. No escape. James was going to get to me.

"What am I saying, I'm Elizabeth Powell, I can get out of anything," I mumbled to myself. "Oh!"

I pulled open the small door to the broom closet and jumped in, moving random mops and such over. Sitting on a bucket, I waited a few minutes until I heard James outside the closet.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" He flung open the door to my hiding place and stepped inside, eyes glinting evilly.

"Oh, please," I wailed. "Have mercy!"

"I don't think so," and with that, he pounced and started tickling me.

"I—regret—ever—letting—you—find—out—'bout—my –ticklish—spot—," I got out between laughs.

"You should start thinking about what you say before you say it," he smirked and I heard the door close behind him.

James tickled me for what seemed like a few more minutes and then leaned back, out of breath.

"Well?" he asked me.

I sat up from my place on the floor of the broom closet. "I don't think so."

"You honestly want me to come over there?"

I snorted, "James, you're, what, not even arms length away from me?"

"Still," he inched closer.

"Fine," I said, feeling my back hit the wall. "James Potter is the all powerful master at tickling. Come on, what are we, five?"

"At heart," he grinned and leaned back against the wall again. "What time is it?"

"I don't know," I thought about how long we'd been in here. "The few that went to Hogsmeade are probably getting back by now."

"Yeah," he stood up and reached for the door handle. "Let's go."

He turned the handle, but the door wouldn't open. He tried pulling, but that wouldn't work either. Taking out his wand, he tried to unlock the door, but it still wouldn't budge. "Damn it."

"Move over, James," I stood up beside him. "Let me try."

I took out my wand and tried every unlocking spell I knew. "Um, I think we may be stuck."

"Really?" he said sarcastically. "Cause I thought the door was playing a joke on us."

"James," I glared at him and sat on the bucket I'd previously occupied.

"So you're just going to sit there?" he asked angrily.

"Yep," I grinned cheekily.

He sighed, "Well, I guess there's no point in wasting energy. Someone will miss us eventually."

"That's the spirit!"

He flipped over another bucket and sat across from me. We were silent for a few moments.

"What do you want to do to pass the time, Lizzy?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know, how about we--," I never got to finish that sentence because I tried to lean back.

Now I doubt you've ever tried to lean back on a bucket in a broom closet, so let me tell you, it will not work. You will most likely end up like I did, sprawled on the floor of the closet with a dirty mop and other unknown items piled on top of myself. Not fun.

"Are you okay?" James asked, pulling me up from the ground. I could tell without even looking at him that he is trying so hard not to laugh.

He burst out laughing.

Obviously not hard enough.

"I fine," I sighed and sat back on the bucket. "Ass hurts though."

He's still laughing, unbelievable. Oh, wait. It's James Potter, of course it's believable. "That was quite a fall."

"Don't mock me," I slapped his arm.

"Ouch!"

"Baby," I stuck my tongue out at him. "Baby, you fragile baby."

"Shhh," he held his hand in front of my mouth. "I think I hear someone coming."

I ripped his hand off my mouth, "Idiot! We want them to hear us!"

"Right," he shook his head and started pounding on the door. "Anyone out there?!"

"James?" came a voice.

"Albus?" I groaned, he won't be any help.

"Powell? No way, what's going on in there?" I could HEAR him smirking.

"Wouldn't you like to know," James said from my right.

"Ugh," I hit James upside the head. "Albus, can you get us out of here?"

"Why, aren't you busy?"

"NO! We just happened to get locked in here," I hit the door.

"You sure?" Albus Potter asked. "I wouldn't want to interrupt anything."

"Thrust me, you aren't," James said to his younger brother. "Now can you get us out or not?"

"Not after what you did to me and Scorp. Those frogs hurt."

"Aww, is ickle Al scared of some harmless frogs?" James crooned.

"I leaving," Albus stomped off.

"Great, we're still stuck in here," I sighed and stood up. "What to do?"

James shot up fast, "I know. We can—"

He didn't get too far in that sentence because I, a klutz if you hadn't already noticed, was shocked by him standing up so fast. The next thing I knew, I'd started to fall, only to be caught by none other than James Potter.

I opened my eyes, one by one and my own hazel eyes looked right into James' deep pools of brown. He still held me in his arms, staring into my eyes.

"Erm," cleared my throat. "What was your idea to pass the time again?"

"Forgot," he said breathlessly and leaned forward. I barely had time to process what he was doing before his lips were against mine. I stopped breathing for a moment, but gladly complied after realizing he was kissing me.

Kissing me. James Potter is kissing me. No, my best friend, James Potter, is _snogging_ me. Oh Merlin and I think I may be enjoying this amazing snog. My life may have just gotten complicated, but no time to worry about that. I'M SNOGGING JAMES POTTER!

Too soon for my liking, he pulled back and looked into my eyes once again.

"Lovely job, Ms. Powell," He breathlessly said.

"Ditto," I replied before replacing my lips on his own.

I have no clue how long that next kiss lasted, but when I look back on this, the one thing I will remember is the look on Headmistress McGonagall's face when she unlocked the broom closet to fine us. It was actually pretty interesting, a mix between fury and slight amusement.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Powell, would you kindly get out of this closet and go to your dorms," She said to us. "Five points from Gryffindor for this also."

I sighed, but stepped out of the broom closet with James. McGonagall nodded in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room and we turned in that direction.

Behind us I heard McGonagall say to herself something involving the words _Potters _and _redheads_.

Right before we turned the corner, I looked behind me and spoke to our Headmistress.

"You know, talking to yourself is one of the first signs of insanity!"

I grabbed James' hand and we ran back to the Common Room, strangely enough, McGonagall didn't give us a detention.

* * *

**A/N: Now, this has been up here for a while, and I was just looking at the number of views to the number of reviews. I was extremely dissapointed. So, please, review with comments, _suggestions_, whatever you please. They really do help me.**


	2. Merlin Hates Me

_Once again, anything you recognize is not mine. In other words, I only own Liz Powell. Sucks, I know, but hey, that's life. I guess. _

**

* * *

**

**Merlin Hates Me**

After the little stunt in the broom closet, it only took an hour to get around that Hogwart's Current Biggest Trouble Makers (yes, we do have a title) started 'going out'. Thinking about that saying, I wonder who started it. I mean, why could people have just kept using 'dating'. So much more simple than 'going out.'

So, anyway, around two weeks later James asked me to meet him in 'the place to which I would know of.' I still had, eh, a good ten minutes before I had to leave.

"LIZ!" came the urgent scream of my boyfriend's younger sister.

I stood up from my seat on the Gryffindor Common room couch and dramatically threw my Herbology essay down. Ignoring the amused stares from other Gryffindors, I ran full speed up the stairs and into Lily's dorm.

"Lily?! Are you alright?" I asked, almost out of breath, "Merlin I need to run more."

"This is no time for you to be worrying about your health!" My fellow redhead screeched. "I have a serious issue!"

"What?!"

"Well," she, thankfully, brought her voice down a few octaves. "I don't know what to wear."

No bloody way. I almost suffered from some sort of an attack because she couldn't find anything to _wear?_

"Are you trying to kill me?" Oops, didn't mean to say that.

"What do you mean?" Her fifteen year old voice whispered. "We're friends; I would help you if you had this problem."

Oh great, those eyes! For the love of all things holy, why did she inherit those puppy dog eyes?!

"Fine, what are you in need of this outfit for?" Oh, this better not take long, I can't be late again.

"Hogsmeade, the last one before Christmas. I have a date."

"WHO?" I yell, stunned.

"Lysander Scamander," she yelled back.

I was silent for a minute. Lysander Scamander? The Ravenclaw or the Hufflepuff? Wait; is he even one of the twins?

"Ravenclaw?" I ask.

Lily nods. Lorcan and Lysander Scamander (not only have awesome last names) were the first twins since the Patil's to get sorted into separate Houses.

"Sooooo…" I trailed off smirking.

"He's in my year and was assigned to help me with Charms," Lily blushed. "He asked me yesterday."

"So short of notice," I shook my head, frowning. "How?"

"He just asked me."

"Humph."

"Let me guess, my brother got down on a knee and sang a romantic song he wrote about you?" Now she's smirking.

"Touché," I mumbled. James actually asked me three days after The Incident, and that was probably on a whim.

"To get back to the topic," She flipped open her trunk, "I was thinking—"

I shushed her and brought out my wand. I flicked it twice and gray tights, a short, white skirt, and a navy Puddlemere United shirt came out. I sent the clothes to lie on her bed and put my wand away.

"Okay then, um, thank you?" she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Skill," I nodded in her direction and went to the door. Just as I was about to close the door behind me I turned around to face her again, "That will be 15 sickles for my services."

I distinctly heard, "Put it on my tab!" before I closed the door with a snort.

"Arg," I said when I saw the time. "Late again, damn it."

I ran out of the portrait hole and toward the sunny outdoors. Once I flung open the doors to the Entrance Hall (not an easy feat, honestly are they made of solid lead?), I quickly walked toward the spot where I was supposed to meet James. Walking past Hagrid's Hut, I went to the huge Willow tree by the lake. I heard a rustling noise.

Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I stepped carefully around the tree.

"_James Potter?" _I hissed.

The pair pulled apart, black hair messy as always, James looked up in horror, reaching around the ground to find his glasses.

"Oh, hello," The unknown blonde girl slurred, "Who are you?"

"I'm his girlfriend!" Anger welled in my heart, "Or at least I was."

"Wait, Lizzy, I can explain," James tried to stand, but stumbled as he couldn't see.

"My name is Elizabeth," I spat at him, looking around the ground. Spotted.

"You don't understand, I was just—"

I lifted my foot and slammed it down on the grass, successfully breaking his glasses.

"Who do you think you are?" The girl asked. I didn't even know a voice could get that high.

"I am Elizabeth Powell, your little buddy's ex-girlfriend."

"I—"

"SAVE IT FOR SOMEONE WHO RUDDY CARES POTTER!" I screamed and threw a hex at him. I then ran for the castle, not looking back.

I made it all the way back to the Common Room before the first tear slid down my cheek. No, I can't cry. I haven't cried since I found out my parents were dead. A sob racks through my body anyway.

"Liz?"

I look up to see the Common Room empty, accept for Lily.

"Are you alright?" She walked over to me, though shorter, she reached up and pulled me into a hug. "What happened?"

I mumbled something incoherent and she pushed me toward the stairs to the dorms. I walked up and lay on my bed.

"What happened?" She repeated.

"Potter—brother—blonde—female—willow—kiss—cheat," I whispered, the truth sinking in.

"What?" Her face got white. "No, he wouldn't, it's probably a misunderstanding—"

"I promise, I know what I saw."

She got a fierce look in her eye before leaving the room. I was about to call out when she came back in with a quill and some parchment.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"Telling Mum."

I reached out and took the paper from her, "You can't."

I had met Mrs. Potter on many occasions; she had even sent me multiple letters by owl. If there was one thing I knew about her would be her temper. It's as bad as mine, if not worse.

"Why not?"

"Because," I though a minute. Remembering the girl with James, _snogging_. I handed her back the parchment. "On second thought go ahead Lily."

She glared at the paper as she wrote, almost creating holes in the parchment. As she wrote, I couldn't help but remember all the good times Potter and I shared in the short time we were together.

"_So, where do you want to go?" James asked me. I looked around the Hogsmeade shops in fake thought._

"_I don't know," I tapped a finger on my chin. "Oh! I know, how about Zonko's?"_

_He laughed, "What, our first date and you want to go in the Joke Shop?"_

"_Yep," I grinned at him, and then at our joined hands._

"_I knew I liked you for a reason," He got a smile on his face as well._

I sighed as Lily kept writing furiously. Well, I guess I am pretty lucky that I have her as a friend; she'd do anything for me.

"_Two Butterbeers," James set the drinks on our table and sat across from me. "So, enjoying yourself?"_

_I lifted the drink to my lips and took a long sip, "Yeah, thanks for the dungbombs. I was running low."_

"_No problem," He took a sip from his own glass and glanced around the pub. A silence followed._

"_Soo," We both started at the same time._

"_You go," he said._

_I laughed quietly. "Just because we're now 'dating' doesn't need to change how we act around each other."_

"_Yeah, so what do you wish to speak about?"_

"_How about a new prank, Mr. Potter?"_

"_Sounds wonderful to me. Great thinking, Ms. Powell."_

I leaned back wondering what could have possibly made him snog that girl. Was it something I did? And, more importantly, who the hell was she?

"Finished!" Lily exclaimed.

"Can I read it?"

She handed me the parchment. It read:

_**Dear Mum,**_

_**I am sorry to be the one to tell you this, but earlier this very day, your oldest son, James Sirius Potter, was found sitting behind the Willow tree by Elizabeth. This may not sound horrid to you now, but wait until I tell you what he was doing.**_

_**He was snogging, SNOGGING, a different female, a blonde might I add (thus directly insulting redheads by choosing her over Liz). Liz and I wish to get the support of another redhead, please bequeath unto us your amazing advice. It might even help if you send my non-brother a Howler. Thank You!**_

_**Love Always,**_

_**Lily Luna Potter**_

"What would I do without you Lily?" I asked as I finished the letter. I handed her work to her and she rolled it up.

"Fall into the Lake, probably," She grinned and whistled out the window. Her owl, Sherbet, flew through and stuck out its leg.

"I really need to train my owl to do that," I reminded myself.

"Skill," she grinned at me, "Care to do the honors?"

"Sure, thank you Lily. I really appreciate this," I attached the letter to its leg.

"I just can't believe he would do something like that," Lily frowned, "To Mum, alright?"

The owl hooted and just as it was about to fly out the window, I grabbed it.

"Hey!"

I sighed. "Lily, I can't tell your mother about this."

"Why not?"

"It's like tattling," And as he used to be your best friend, it just doesn't feel right.

Lily sighed, "Fine, but I will tell her eventually."

"Okay, but not because of me," I replied.

I sat back on my bed and closed my eyes, not allowing the tears to fall. There is a slam when the door closes. Thankfully Lily left, for a drop of water leaked out of my eye.

"No use crying," I told myself quietly, "It'll just give him satisfaction."

I left myself drift off into sleep, not awakening until the next morning.

A week later, I still have not spoken with Potter. I basically avoided him with all my knowledge of Hogwarts' passageways and secret tunnels. He has been trying to corner me though, but I've not let him. Although he has an advantage. The Marauder's Map.

Apparently his grandfather and friends created the Map of Hogwarts. They used it for pranks and midnight escapes. At least that's what I've been told. Anyway, Potter stole it from his father's desk before he got to Hogwarts, therefore officially becoming his grandfather.

That day, a week later, I just got done with my last class of the day, Potions. I really hate Slughorn. I still don't get how he can be that 'jolly' at his age. Walking down a silent hallway, someone grabbed my arm.

"Oi!" I yelled after something pushed me into an empty classroom. "Who's that?!"

"Liz?" came the quiet voice of James Potter.

That's just my amazing luck.

"Where are we, Potter?" my words even hurt me. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," He said a little louder, "I've been stuck in here for a half an hour now!"

"Stuck?" I asked, voice squeaking.

"Yeah, door's locked," He rubbed the back of his neck. "Déjà vu, huh?"

Merlin hates me.

"Yeah, sure," I walked to the back and sat on a desk.

We sat in silence before something sounded outside the door. I jumped up, ready to thank the person who found us, when the door slammed open and two boys flew in.

"We said sorry!" The one with hair like James' said.

"Yeah, and we actually admitted to it," Came the drawl of the blonde.

"Then tell them!" Yes! It's Lily. "Tell the one's who suffered from what you did!"

"Erm," Okay, confused now. "Lily, what are you—"

She slammed the door behind her and pulled out her wand. "Accio wands!"

I felt my wand being pulled from my back pocket and before I blinked it was in Lily's hand.

"Hey!" James yelled at his sister.

"Lilyyyy," Albus Potter whined at his younger sister, "They'll murder Scorp and I."

"Why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "And who?"

"Oh, um, you see," Scorpius Malfoy started.

"These two Slytherins caused this mess!" Lily screamed. "And I can't take it anymore!"

"Lily?" James backed away from his sister, slightly frightened. I snorted at his antics. A Gryffindor, sure.

"Explain," she pointed her wand dangerously at the Slytherins. "Now."

The two boys started talking quickly, at the same time. I only got a few words out of the jumbled mess, but the few were enough.

"Angry"

"Frogs"

"Embarrassed"

"Revenge"

"Twenty Minute Love Potion"

"Random girl"

"Polyjuice Potion"

"YOU WHAT?!" I pounced on Malfoy and raised my fist. Before I could slam it in his pale face, someone grabbed my hand from behind.

"Lizzy, I wouldn't do that," James said to me and pulled me off his brother's friend.

"Oh," I said when I got to my feet, "You think now that I know you didn't mean to do any of that, you think you can call me 'Lizzy'?"

"Yep," he gave the Potter smirk.

"Well, err, you can't!" Honestly, couldn't that have come out less stuttery? Wait, is 'stuttery' a word? Oh who am I kidding, no one cares.

"Why not?"

"Because," Nice reason.

"I didn't do anything! It was all those two's fault," He pointed to the cowering Slytherins.

He does have a point, "That may be true, but—"

"It is true!"

"Fine, it is true but," I stopped. "Wait just a—you are right, this was never any of your fault."

"Really?" He smirked again.

"It's theirs," I glared at Albus and Scorpius. "Their entire fault."

"Lizzy, how about we get revenge later," He whispered in my ear, sending a chill down my spine.

I couldn't help the grin that made its way onto my face.

The next day, Christmas, Albus Potter woke to his best friend pulling him out of bed.

"Scorp, what are you doing?" I heard him ask. Scorpius dropped Al's feet.

"Happy Christmas, look!"

"What?"

"We both got boxes of Honeydukes!" Scorpius said happily.

"Really, from who?" Albus dragged himself out of bed and I watched as he picked up the large box of chocolates. "No name."

Scorpius shrugged, "Hey man, its good."

Albus shrugged and pulled open the lid. He reached in and pulled a huge chunk of fudge out.

"Perfect," I whispered to my partner in crime. He grinned at me.

"Mmhm, these are good," Albus turned to look at his friend, "SCORP!"

"What?" The boy asked.

"Look at yourself," Scorpius' hair had turned a bright shade of yellow, his skin had turned blue, and red boils were starting to sprout all over him.

Scorpius yelled. "Al, look at _you_!"

Albus looked down and let out a curse. His own skin was turned red, his hair blue, and yellow pus had started coming out of his skin. The two boys looked at each other, and then groaned.

"Potter," Malfoy spat.

"Powell," Albus smacked his head.

"Wicked," James high-fived me as we crawled out of our hiding place in the Slytherin dorms.

I sighed and grinned at a prank well-preformed. Ah, sweet revenge. I took James' hand and we walked back to the Gryffindor CM to open our own presents.

As soon as we got to the Common Room, I said the password. I was about to head inside when James spun me around.

"Oof," I mumbled as I slammed into his chest, loosing my balance. I stumbled and was about to fall when he caught me. I heard him snort.

"Always falling for me, huh?"

I looked into his eyes and brought my lips to his.

"What can I say?" I whispered once I pulled away. "Apparently Potters have that affect on redheads."

* * *

**A/N: I repeat. Reviews are nice, I enoy reading them, and they help me with later things. Seriously, just a random word could sprout an idea from me. So, _please_, help an author and review.**


	3. Merlin Hex Me

_Alright, alright, I confess...I don't own any of this. Except Liz. I actually own her. Yes, she is my creation. Take that, Rowling! _

* * *

**Merlin Hex Me**

Another year, and honestly I can't wait. The snow is on the ground, Christmas has ended and the New Year is upon us. I love the New Year for three reasons, new starts, new adventures, and new pranks to be pulled. Not to mention I'll be starting this year off with a bloody _boyfriend _of all things. Oh, if my mother could see me now.

But, back to the pranks.

"I don't believe you guys," Lily laughed when James and I stepped into the Common Room covered in sauce. "How does that even happen?"

I grinned and shrugged, "We found a way."

James let out another one of his belly laughs and reached his arm around my shoulder. I felt him bend his head down near my ear and expecting him to say something witty, I leaned into his touch. Something wet slid up my cheek, removing some of the left over chocolate.

"POTTER!" I screeched and cringed away from his embrace. "Just because—"

"Oh, come on," He smirked and rolled his eyes. "I've done worse to you."

Lily screamed and covered her ears from the couch. "Dear Merlin! Sister present!"

I looked to her with a raised eyebrow, "And don't tell me he's never over heard your conversations about Scamander."

"We really don't need to be talking about this right now," It was James' turn to cringe. "Or ever, for that matter."

"Godric!" Lily stood up and moved towards the door, "I almost forgot!"

With that, the younger red head sprinted out the door to meet up with her lover boy and I went back to my own. James and I sat down on the couch and I looked into the fire. The year was almost over, seventh year was almost over, and our moments at Hogwarts were almost over. Time goes by far too fast.

I shook my head against James' shoulder and my eyes roamed the Common Room. The enchanted mistletoe we got from James' uncle's shop was still hanging from the doorway. Explaining to George why we wanted it was one of the most entertaining battles of wit I've ever had the pleasure to be a part of.

"_What's the matter James, do you need more tips?" They have the same smirk. _

"_From you Uncle George? 'Cause according to Aunt Angie, it took you three years to work up the courage to—"_

_George cut him off, "Has he been giving you trouble, Lizzie?" _

"_Not enough, Uncle George," I smirked as the older Weasley laughed._

I smiled and looked up at James who met my eyes.

"Thinking of me again?" He raised his eyebrows at the smile that must be on my face.

"Nope," I popped my lips. He looked at me waiting to say I'm joking. "Your Uncle."

He got a really disturbed look on his face and started shaking his head. "No, stop, don't even, that's really weird."

"Try past-weird, and illegal."

The rest of the day went by faster than the year. For one, it seemed like we were the only ones in the castle because so many people went home for the holidays. Another thing to the speed up the day seemed to come from the nap James and I apparently took for six hours. It was a rude awakening when I was thrown off the couch by my waking boyfriend, even worse when we realized we were still covered in chocolate.

The next four days were filled with eating, sleeping, riding brooms on the Pitch, enjoying time in closets, and hanging around McGonagall. Uh, the last one can be explained with the word 'detention'. Yes, some of the events caused us some scrubbing time in the trophy room, but playing with the soap was fun.

On Friday Lily and I kicked everyone out of the Common Room to set up for a New Year's party. We had planned this back in November; all the Houses would be invited since only three other Gryffindors had stayed for the Break.

"No, grab the—"

"Salazar! Lily, take the—"

"Just use your bloody wand!"

I groaned and flicked my wand to help the signs and streamers stay up. The countdown would start in five hours, and we were a bit behind.

"Where's that food I ordered?" I yelled over my shoulder. "It should've been here by now!"

I heard the portrait open and as I was about to start screaming at the early arriver, James spoke.

"The elves are working on it right now, it'll be up in less than five minutes," He rolled his eyes at me. "Why do I enjoy your company again?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but Lily beat me to it, "I'm not going through this again, talk at the party…which won't happen unless we get this décor up!"

I hoisted a sign up on my shoulders and motioned James over.

"Help me out, will you?" I grinned and took a breath. "This is heavier than it looks."

"Fine, I shall come to the lady's rescue," He performed a sweeping bow and jumped to take it from me. "Seriously though, why don't you use your wand?"

I shrugged, "This is more fun?"

He tilted his head, "Fair enough. Where do you want this?"

"Uh…up there?" I pointed in a random direction. "Where do you think?"

"Actually, that would look good there…it's welcoming everyone."

I heard Lily scoff. "That's the general idea, dumb ass."

James gasped. "What kind of language is my sister using? That boy has been teaching you things, hasn't he? Oh, grandmumsie would have an attack!"

"The same grandmumsie that's famous for calling a crazy lady a female dog before killing her?" I asked at the same time Lily snorted.

"That boy's been teaching me a lot of—"

"ANYWAY, James, you sounded a bit too much like your mother for a minute." I cut in. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," He rolled his eyes and put up the banner. "Now you're sounding like my mother."

"You actually are a bit, Lizzy," Lily said from her place by her magical music blaster.

_Is it wrong to wish you went the same way as your brother?_

"Merlin, sometimes I wish you were put in the same House as Albus…and that is just depressing," James spoke my thoughts aloud.

"I was just about—" The look on Lily's face cut me off. That'd been happening a lot lately. "To move the last couch to the wall!"

"You don't have to yell what you're about to do, you know," He looked at me in confusion and another emotion I couldn't figure out.

My boyfriend really is slow.

There's that word again; _boyfriend._ Is it supposed to feel weird…I mean, it seems like just three months ago we were just friends. Well, actually, we were. But still. Boyfriend; that really is a nice word.

I went to move the couch like I said I would, James finished hanging the decorations, and Lily got the music blasting. She had the Weird Sisters playing now…she always did like the oldies. Maybe she'll let me put in some Cauldron later.

The clock struck nine. We sent out notices for people to show up around nine thirty. I told Lily this fact and she screamed.

"Bloody—I have to get changed!" She pulled out her want and flicked the Common Room door open for the early arrivals. "James, you're ready right?"

"Uh," He looked at me for some reason. "I was just going to wear this, yeah."

"Great, stay here and welcome anyone that comes in, we'll be down soon."

I was then dragged up the stairs and into the dormitories.

"Oh, I almost forgot, did Lysander stay over break?"I asked her as she searched through her closet. This was starting to seem oddly familiar.

"Yeah," She slowed down flipping through the clothes in her trunk and looked at me. "His mother, father, and brother went to look for some creatures south of Greece…but he said he'd stay here."

I laughed in triumph, "With you! That's nice of him."

"Nice? Yes, I guess it is nice…I really like him, Lizzy." She got a far off look in her eyes.

"Ah," I cleared my throat. "Just, um, remember…you can always say no, and um, use that special spell."

She looked at me for a minute, eyebrows scrunched. Suddenly her eyes widened and her cheeks flamed up. "Not like _that._ Merlin, I know you and my brother are the most not-serious people in this school, but could you be for a minute?"

"Hey now, I can be serious," I grinned. "He's my idol."

The red-head groaned, "Seriously!"

"Wouldn't that suck if his middle name actually was _Lee_?" I thought for a minute and she huffed while going back through her stuff. "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist that one. But just remember, you're only a fifth year. You have plenty of time for all that _love_ stuff."

"And what about you?" She stood up quickly and I fell back ward onto her bed from shock.

"Wha—what?"

"You're a seventh year. Most witches get married within three years after leaving Hogwarts. After finding their dream job of course," She rolled her eyes at that.

I looked at her in utter confusion, "Are you asking me if I'm ready to be married? Because I haven't really put much thought into the matter, in fact I'm not sure that I ever want to get married…well, at least not in my teens."

"Do you love James?"

"Does he want to get married?" My eyes widened.

"Ugh, no," She shook her head at me. "I just would like to know. Because, like it or not you would be the perfect sister-in-law."

"Um…thanks?" _Is this how I was in fifth year?_

"What I'm trying to say is, don't leave James or you will have something terrible happen to you," She shook her head again. "Sorry, that sounded a lot better in my head."

"I'd say so."

"What I mean is…you make him happy, you've been friends for years, you already are part of the family…might as well make it legal? Not now…and you can forget this part of the conversation ever happened…but my mother's basically been planning the wedding ever since you started dating—no, ever since James wrote the letter home first year that he 'met a friend who has red hair'. Lizzy, just remember…he has a whole family of red-haired women with anger issues and you had better not break his heart."

Heh. I smiled at her and nodded a bit, "Um…I think I'm going to go get ready now. See you down there!"

As I basically ran out of there she yelled after me, "IT HAD TO BE SAID!"

I slowed as I got to my dorm. None of the girls I share the room with stayed, so I've it all to myself. I walked over to my trunk and pulled out the outfit I chose the other night. I slid on the mid-thigh length black dress I bought a few months back with Lily and went to brush my hair. I let it down from its usual bun and put my wand in a box under my pillow.

A few minutes after nine thirty I slid on some black heels and flicked on some of WWW's eyeliner for witches; I could hear people talking down the stairs and decided I should probably get down there.

Walking slowly, as to not trip and embarrass myself I looked around in the dark room for James. I saw Lily dancing with Lysander and gave her a wave. She smiled and nodded in the direction of the food table. I looked over to see James staring at me. He had that look in his eyes again.

I made my way over to where he stood.

"Hey, nice turn out, huh?" I grinned.

He laughed, "Everyone that's here came…it's not like they had anything better to do."

He filled a glass of punch and handed it to me. I said thanks and took a sip. Ah, I wonder who spiked it this time.

James made the mistake of not taking a small sip to check like I did and coughed a bit. "Merlin…"

I heard a snort from the corner and saw Albus and Scorpius talking with some girls. Albus was looking in our direction; I guess he supplied the _additions_ to the punch.

"Want to…dance?" James slowly asked me.

"Why I would be honored, Mr. Potter," I smirked and took the arm he held out. As soon as we stepped toward the middle, a slow song started. I shrugged and put my arms around his neck. He seemed a bit lost so I nudged him with my elbow. He slid his hands tentatively to my waist and we began moving back and forth to the beat of the song.

The entire time we danced all I could think about was what Lily said. Do I love James? My mother always said that's a strong word to use… and we've only been together for four months? Of course we have been friends for six, seven years now. I like him…but marriage? Bloody hell no; we are only in seventh year. After school? I'd like to stay with him, yes, but not marriage. I'm supposed to go into the Department of Mysteries right after.

I'm going to have to talk with him about this matter. Why did Lily have to bring that up? She's only 15 I know…but still, have more sense. Times have changed. I am not 'getting married' until…well…for a long, long time.

The song switched to a faster one that I recognized as sung by Cauldron. James started to pull back his hands, but I grabbed them and pulled myself against him. As we danced to one of my favorite songs, all previous thoughts flew out of my head.

We spent the next two hours dancing and taking breaks on one of the couches. Those hours went by nice and slow, unlike the year. It was nice, just sitting, talking, and drinking the punch. Not enough to be off one's trolley, but enough to have a good time. Next thing I knew, Lily came around and was telling us the clock would strike in five minutes.

"We'd better stand up," James whispered in my ear.

I sighed, "Yeah, come on."

He helped me up and we walked over to where everyone was standing. I saw Lysander and Lily stand nearest to the big clock on the wall, and James and I went to the side. Everyone stopped talking and some brought out their wands. As soon as it hit eleven fifty nine, they began counting down.

"I'm surprised Albus knows which number comes next," James said to me quietly.

I let out a small laugh and leaned back into his chest.

"20…19…18…"

I joined in on the counting and looked over to Lysander and Lily. He looked like he was planning something, and I know that look extremely well. Odd…

"10…9…8…7…6…5…"

As I said the last four numbers, I saw multiple things happen at once. The guys that had taken their wands out let small fireworks off, Lysander kissed Lily, Lily let out a small squeal, and a decent amount of people screamed "Happy New Year!"

And me? I was spun around at the last second and pressed against James as he brought his lips to my own. And honestly?

I wouldn't rather be anywhere else.

* * *

**A/N: I know...it's been a really long time...a little more than a year, actually. And that hurts me. But honestly, I was just going to leave this fic as it was. But suddenly...I had a thought for this chapter. heh, I'm really sorry about the wait...but come on, another chapter? I think I seriously deserve some reviews for this...**

**Thanks to all the people that have reviewed!**

**bookiewormie**

**sums96**

**midnightsprite**

**dork-with-glasses**

**ThePip6**

**victoriam549**

**yellowsea25**

**StandUpEvenIfYouStandAlone**

**Treacherous Darkness**

**..**

**TEAM ALICE CULLEN ALL THE WAY**

**Cambryn**

**DamonRulez**


	4. Merlin Hide Me

_Alright, alright, I confess...I don't own any of this. Except Liz. I actually own her. Yes, she is my creation._

* * *

**Merlin Hide Me**

"You know what day tomorrow is, right?" James asked me as we sat on the couch in the Common Room.

I sighed and buried my head into his shoulder. I mumbled something.

I could feel the smirk as it grew across his face. "What was that?"

"V-Day."

Memories of past years flew into my head at the thought. Since second year we'd taken one day out of the entire year to play pranks…on each other. I mistakenly had first thought of the idea and he went with it. The first prank I pulled was great; let me tell you that when you mix jelly legs jinxes with actual jelly it really can be effective. That's when he realized I was serious though. From that moment he began the chase, every year at least one of his pranks involving vanilla ice cream…which I hate.

"Correct, Ms. Powell, correct."

I opened my eyes and looked up through my lashes, knowing that he couldn't resist that look. He glanced down at me and rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Oh no, we both know it's a tradition," James said. "And I won't let you break it."

I sat up and let my grin slip through. "Ugh, alright, you know I'll take part in it…same rules."

"There we go!" He grinned and leaned back against the couch. His red shirt rode up a bit…Godric bless Quidditch.

A smile stretched its way across my face and I shook my head. Standing up I tried to ignore the thoughts running through my head. It really didn't help that James' arm reached across my stomach and pulled me back into him.

"Nooo…don't leave me." He whined and I let my head fall back onto the couch.

"Ja-ames, it's almost midnight," I whispered. "I have to get up early to put my plans into effect."

"Ah, so you have been planning? I should have known."

"Oh, like you haven't been pl—"

I really didn't expect him to kiss me. Without warning, his lips were against mine. The kiss was definitely different from our past experiences, this was…rougher. A pleasured sigh escaped and I felt my face heat up. I smelled the cologne I bought him from his uncle's shop as a joke some years back and suddenly didn't regret it. He softly deepened the kiss and I felt like I would melt, my body was the most relaxed it had ever been, I leaned into his touch.

I don't know if it was minutes, seconds, or hours later, but I had to pull back too soon. Faces still close enough that I could feel his breath on my face, I let out another sigh.

"See you in the morning, Mr. Potter," I whispered and quickly stood up. Turning my back to him, I walked up the stairs. Before I got to the top step I turned around and glanced back down. James was leaning his head over the couch, an arm covering his eyes. I pulled out my wand and sent a small hex his way.

I smirked at his newly bright green hair and looked at the clock. _12:11_

"Let the games begin."

The next morning I was oh so rudely woken by my dorm mates screaming. I didn't even have to open my eyes to know what they were screaming about. It was always his opening day prank, so I waved my wand and the ocean of ice cream turned back into the feathers they had been and resumed their places in the pillows.

I rolled out of my bed and got to my feet. Then I was pulled off my feet and hung by them in the air. I groaned and glanced around the room to find the rest of the girls had run out when they woke up to the white sea. I yawned and reached up to rub some sleep from my eyes; the spell would wear off soon, they always did.

On that note I felt my face meet the floor.

"Mother of Merlin," My eyes welled up and I put my hand to my head. A bump was already forming on my forehead and I could tell it wouldn't be my skin color. I fell back against the sheets and began to plan out my second prank of the day. I felt something underneath my neck and sat up. I brought the parchment closer to my face.

_Ms. Powell-_

_Looks like I swept you off your feet. Prepare for much more fun soaring your way._

_-Mr. Potter_

I let out a laugh. A note that states a romantic pun and a clue for the next prank? Perfect.

I pulled my clothes on and stuck my wand in the back of my skirt. I buttoned up my white blouse and threw my red and gold tie underneath the collar. I grabbed one of the other girl's hair clips and threw my red hair up into it.

I kneeled by the side of my bed and reached far underneath. I grabbed hold of a box and pulled it out. Grinning at the three W's written in gold lettering on top I opened the lid.

When I walked down the steps and into the Great Hall I rolled my eyes at the floating hearts. Glancing around at the many people enjoying their Saturday breakfasts I met the eyes of James. His eyes seemed to widen a bit at the sight of the bruise on my forehead and I swear I saw the feeling of regret pass through his eyes, but it was gone in a second.

I walked over to the table and past James towards Lily. He raised an eyebrow and I ignored him.

"You guys doing that V-Day thing again? I thought it would be different this year since, you know…" Lily took a bite of bread and looked up at me.

"Nope, it's tradition. We will probably be doing this until we die," I grinned but thought about what I had said. Until death? Oh Merlin…

Lily smirked. "Until you _die_…that's pretty deep, Lizzie."

I scrunched m eyebrows together, "Yeah, feel free to forget I ever said that."

"Well, on that note, what do you have planned? Anything that I can help with?" She got the same evil glint in her eyes that James had often.

"Uh," I buttered my toast. "Sorry, it's really supposed to only be between the two of us."

"Eh. Fine then. I should probably be hanging out with Lysander anyway," She went back to her meal.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw James pick up his drink. I pulled out my wand under the table and flicked it in his direction. I smirked as he kept drinking it; since he changed his hair back I figured I should probably give him something a bit more…permanent.

"Um, are you listening to me Liz?" Lily waved her fork and looked at me. A burst of laughter started at the other end and she turned her head toward it. A look of pure shock overcame her face and she started to crack up. I laughed too when I saw the newly green skinned James Potter still eating. I took a bite of my toast and smirked.

"Nice. I love the color—oh." Her eyes widened when she looked at me. "Err, Lizzie…you got to look at yourself."

I tilted my head to the side and reached for a silver spoon to look at my reflection. _Bloody hell. _

I ran a finger through my bright pink hair and blinked my all white eyes. "I look like a fairy. A bloody fairy. Fu—"

"Whoa, whoa, no need for that now. It's not that _bad_…and I'm sure it wears off. Or it will wear off; eventually." Lily shrugged. "Um, I'm really sorry, but I promised Lysander that I'd—"

"Go ahead. I'll be fine…but if you don't see your brother for a decent amount of time, I apologize now."

Lily laughed, "Trust me; you'd be doing me a favor."

I stood up after she left and walked out of the Great Hall. Stopping by the dorms I grabbed James' cloak. Yes, I am that evil; I brought it with me and left more than half of the contents of my box in James' dorm.

_#429- Spirit of Stars_

_Need: Peruvian Instant-Darkness Powder and a Punching Telescope_

Ah George, you and your plots. I pulled a telescope from under my bed and the Instant-Darkness Powder followed. I put the cloak over me and shrunk the WWW book to fit in my pocket.

Now all I have to do is find James.

I wandered the halls of Hogwarts looking for the older Potter boy. I passed many young couples who didn't see me….obviously. I grew tired after turning another corner on the east end. Then, I heard his voice load and clear. I looked around the corner to see him talking with a Hufflepuff. The two guys seemed to be discussing Quidditch. I laughed silently, he seems so unprepared.

"Yeah, I'll definitely be watching that match," James waved his arm. "See you later, Boot."

The other guy walked toward me and I hid behind the wall. _Idiot, you're wearing an invisibility cloak._ I took a breath and walked around the corner slowly to where James was. _Was_…I looked around to see where he had gone, but got no sight of him. I then heard him mumbling to himself from inside a nearby classroom.

How ideal; the door, already being open a bit allowed me to push it open just enough for me to step in. Sadly, it squeaked.

"Who's there?" James began to reach for his wand, but I threw the powder at him.

'_Do not inhale_.' Flashed through my mind before the room went entirely dark; I brought out the miniature Hand of Glory that came with the pack and walked over to where he was struggling. I reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wand, replacing it with the telescope quickly. Before finding James, I had shrunk it to wand size. He wouldn't be able to tell the difference in the dark.

I started to back out of the room as he pulled out the telescope. He flicked it and I heard a murmured _Lumos_ before an arm came out the back and punched him square in the eye. I let out a small giggle when he clutched his eye in pain; before I left the classroom I set his real wand on a table. Once out of the room, I cast a simple locking charm on the door so no one would go in and he'd have a bit of trouble getting out.

I glanced around the Hallway and seeing no one I took off the cloak. I started walking towards the Great Hall again, as I never got much of a breakfast. It being around lunchtime there were a decent amount of people there, but really not many. I piled myself a sandwich and sat down on the far end to eat it.

Sadly my period of relaxation was short lived. About ten minutes later Lily came running in with another boy who I assumed to be Lysander. His longer blonde hair was lighter than most and his brown eyes held information I could never be able to process.

"Lizzie, this is Lysander, Lysander, this is Lizzie," Lily gave a short introduction, confirming my guesses, and continued. "Lizzie, I just got word that James is out for blood."

I raised an eyebrow, hard to do as my forehead was still sore. "How so?"

"He's looking for you and well…he has that glint in his eyes," She widened her own as if to prove it. "Not the usual one, but a scary one. I think he's going all out on this next prank."

"Great, that's truly wonderful." I groaned and put my head in my arms. Before a minute passed I stood up and began walking out of the Hall.

"Where is she going?" Lysander asked Lily behind me.

I heard Lily scoff. "Probably going to hide…sadly, it's the smart thing to do."

Sadly enough, she's right.

And that is how I ended up running the uppermost hall looking for an open door. Or a door in general, as there really seemed to be none. I reached the end of the hallway and began walking right, then left. I sighed and was about to head right when I saw the door in front of me. I didn't hesitate to swing it open and jump inside. Hopefully he wouldn't find me here.

I waited for a while. Alright, really it wasn't that long…probably seven minutes. Alright, exactly seven minutes as there is a clock in this broom closet.

Yes. A broom closet; of bloody course.

I leaned my head against the wall behind me and let out a long sigh. I'd been doing that a lot lately. But I hadn't been cut off mid-sigh before until now.

The closet door swung open and I squinted into the bruised and angry face of James Potter. Oh shit.

"Heh…sorry about that…" I shrugged and looked up at him with a small pout on my face. _How did he find me so quickly?_

He held out a frayed and old piece of parchment. The Map, why the hell didn't I think of that?

"I admit it wasn't as easy as it seems," He began.

I snorted lightly, "What, finding my name on a moving map isn't that simple? I guess the Marauders should have made one with pictures."

He glared down at me amongst the brooms and mops. "Actually, it's because I saw you come down this hallway…but strangely enough you disappeared into this wall."

I raised an eyebrow, "Odd indeed."

He shoved the Map into his back pocket with his green hand and took a step toward me. "And you know what the only room that doesn't show up on the Marauder's Map is, right?"

"The Room of Requirement," I stated, proud of myself that I had found the Come-and-Go-Room.

As soon as I began to think about the room, the brooms and buckets began to disappear. The walls colored a great Gryffindor red instead of the cement brown color. I looked back to James to find his hand reaching up to feel my forehead.

"I'm sorry." He apologized and I winced as his palm went over the bruise. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

I waved his hand away, "It's all in good fun, besides, and I'll get a potion from the Wing later."

We grinned as a potion appeared in front of us. I took off the lid and smeared some of the paste around James' eye while he took a glob and rubbed it on my forehead.

"Thanks," I nodded as I began to feel the effects.

"No issue, Ms. Powell."

I looked up into his eyes, and…well, it sounds horribly like something from a Muggle movie when I think about it, and so I won't think about it. Actions speak louder than thoughts.

I reached my hand behind his green neck and he ran his hands through my pink hair. I brought myself up to him and slowly pressed my lips against his. His hands moved to my waist and I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him closer. He backed me into the wall of the room and I messed up his soft hair even more.

_I love you, James Potter._

He pulled back slowly and stared into my eyes. He tilted his head one way, causing his hair to shift into his eyes. I reached my hand up gently and wiped away the stray hairs. He caught my hand with his own and held it for a moment. I looked at him curiously, breathing more heavily than usual. He brought our joined hands up to the wall behind my head and bent his head down to mine. I closed my eyes and breathed in.

"I love you too, Elizabeth Powell."

* * *

**A/N: Well, I've figured out what I'm going to do with this fic. It's going to have five chapters. That is really all I know. Yes, it will have a real ending...and yes. That's pretty much all I can tell you. I apologize. Tell me how you liked the chapter!**

**Thanks to:**

_**bookiewormie**_

_**sums96**_

_**midnightsprite**_

_**dork-with-glasses**_

_**ThePip6**_

_**victoriam549**_

_**yellowsea25**_

_**StandUpEvenIfYouStandAlone**_

_**Treacherous Darkness**_

_**TEAM ALICE CULLEN ALL THE WAY**_

_**Cambryn**_

_**DamonRulez**_

_**yellowsea25**_

_**ohhallows**_

_**StarViky**_

**For reviewing!**


	5. Merlin Humor Me

_This is the final chapter of this group of short stories…if I can call it that. In all honesty, this was quite fun to write and I enjoyed most moments of it. I will miss this fic, and I'm sorry this last one is so short. _

_However, I don't really own anything in this. Well, except the plot…and Liz. But really, that's it. _

_So many thanks to all that have reviewed; you have definitely helped me finish this. _

**Merlin Humor Me**

"What in the name of Merlin's pants is wrong with you?" She asked. "Gold completely clashes with your hair!"

"Really? Cause I found it brings out the Gryffindor in me," I rolled my eyes.

"Well," Lily began, "From one red head to another…it's hideous."

I sighed and twirled in the knee length golden gown. It was smashing when I bought it…seven months ago. Okay, so now I realize it's a bit…

"Okay, it's pretty bad. But, I'm a witch by Merlin, and I'm graduating Hogwarts, and Godric—I can't handle this," I groaned and fell back onto the bed. "Lily, please fix me."

"I can't believe my brother wants to—ugh," I lifted my hand from my eyes to see her roll her eyes. "First—you're graduating, not going to a wedding."

She waved her wand and the dress shrunk to mid thigh.

"Second, glitter and gold are not for you. Ever," The dress morphed into a solid brown color, and a crème ribbon wrapped itself around my diaphragm. "And third: no one is going to see the dress until after the ceremonies, because you have to wear your robes."

"Thanks, Lils, I wouldn't survive without you."

"_Elizabeth Powell,"_ McGonagall gave a half smile as she waved her wand over my head. She must be so sad to see her star student leave—was that a sigh of relief?

I sat down next to James and he smiled at me; our last pranks had been pulled this morning, everything packed, and farewells to the common room said. An emotional morning for most, a time to be remembered for us; I stood up with the rest of my seventh year class, and threw my hat in the air.

"I can't believe it's over," I turned to James and threw my arms around him. He wrapped his own around me as our fellow Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and some Slytherins jumped around us.

Unwinding ourselves and moving away from the crowds, James led me to a spot by the lake. He sat down underneath a tree and I plopped next to him. The sun shone down on us and we could barely hear the noise in the distance.

"So, Ms. Powell, how does it feel to no longer be a student at Hogwarts?" He twirled a strand of my hair around his finger and I leaned in.

I whispered, "Honestly, Mr. Potter, it doesn't feel all that different. Except, I can finally breathe in complete relief."

He shifted a leaned his head against the tree. "Relief, yes, absolutely no pressure now."

"Well, you've got me," I smirked. "I'm sure we could find some pranks to pull out here that won't get us thrown in Azkaban."

His eyes locked on to mine and he pulled me in for a kiss; I smiled into his lips, but he abruptly pulled back. My huff of disapproval shook him back to earth, "James?"

"You know, Liz, I feel like you know me better than anyone else," I raised an eyebrow in confusion. Do these emotional moments happen after graduation? "And, I'm glad—really glad—that you're in my life."

"I'm glad you're in my life too, James, but—"

"Humor me for a second, okay?" He sat up and reached behind him. "You know, Liz…no matter what happens, I'll be there for you."

"James—"

He cut me off with a kiss that left me speechless. Mouth opening and closing, I probably resembled a fish as he said his next words.

"From a line of Potters asking redheads this question, I'd really appreciate it if you'll have the same answer as them."

_Great, comparing me to his female relatives again… this better be ruddy worth it. _

"Elizabeth Powell, would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Potter?"

_Oh, Merlin. _


End file.
